Personal Statement

I am a physician scientist engaged in teaching, clinical work and basic research. I have been working in the fields of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and glutathione (GSH) metabolism for more than 25 years and have received uninterrupted funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1992.

I currently have NIH-funded research programs that investigate molecular mechanisms of fatty liver, liver injury and liver cancer. Many of the research projects have translational applications, such as identifying biomarkers that can differentiate simple fatty liver from those with a more severe form called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, identifying biomarkers that might predict prognosis and response to chemotherapy in colon cancer, and examining agents that are effective in prevention and treatment for both liver and colon cancers.

I have actively engaged in teaching at all levels, mentored more than 50 pre-doctoral and postdoctoral trainees and more than 20 junior faculty during my career and received recognition as an outstanding teacher and mentor. Many of my mentees are now faculty in many different institutions in the United States and abroad. Thus, in addition to having a well-funded laboratory dedicated to the study of methyl donors in oxidant defense mechanisms, injury and liver cancer, I am recognized as an outstanding mentor.